Pushkin Is Our Everything

Russians often declare 'Pushkin is our everything.' After 200 years of regime changes and political upheavals, the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin remains Russian Number One, the common thread that unites Russians of all political stripes. He's been a part of every national debate since his friends revolted against Tsar Nicholas in 1825. Russians on all sides of today's burning issues still use Pushkin as a defender of their cause. Front-page stories about anti-Kremlin demonstrations, anti-American nationalist propaganda, and the rise of the Orthodox Church often reference Pushkin. How did Pushkin become 'everything' to Russians? Director Michael Beckelhimer, a life-long Russophile and Russian expert, travels through Russia to understand how Pushkin attained mythic status, and how he helps Russians today.